The Exumas have become a very popular cruising destination and every year people descend on them like geese, collecting in great flocks on the islands with the most amenities. We’ve seen hundreds of boats, of all shapes and sizes, but we’re a bit surprised at the number of mega yachts. These are huge vessels, with large crews, that look like small cruise ships. They each seem to have two or more powerboats, some as big as Zenobia, that they use as dinghies, at least four jet skis, and LED signs that flash the name of their vessel at night. They are sort of monstrosities but we can’t help but envy their speed.
We’ve also been checking out the local attractions such as the infamous pig island. I had high hopes for this excursion and eagerly awaited the day that we would swim with the pigs. Or, at least, watch as other people swam with the pigs. Pig Island is actually called Big Major Cay and there are two possible accounts that explain the landing of the pigs. Legend has it that a pirate ship wrecked off the island and some of the livestock were able to swim ashore before the ship went down. The pigs, having been given a second chance at life, swam to shore and colonized the uninhabited cay. The story, on the other hand, is that a couple of local entrepreneurs brought some pigs to the island in order to create a tourist attraction and bolster the economy of the nearby settlement.
Whatever their origin story, the pigs have been socialized to respond to the honking horns of the tour boats that bring passengers from nearby hotels. The pigs hear the horn and come running for the high fructose, processed foods that the tourists provide. We are told that their favourites include peanut butter and jam sandwiches and Kraft cheese slices. Herds of bathing suit clad tourists are dumped on shore to compete for the attention of the pigs. Everyone is desperate to get a great photo so they provide the tastiest morsels in order to gain favour with the insatiable swine. I saw a large pig chase down a small child carrying a bag of caramel corn while stalks of celery and pieces of carrot lay discarded on the beach. Clearly these pigs have refined tastes and more than a good chance of developing diabetes.
We rowed in and arrived on the beach without fanfare. With no horn to set them to salivating the pigs seemed uninterested in us. They looked in our general direction for a moment and then turned and walked away to lie in the shade. We followed them to their nest and tried everything to get their attention but they didn’t want the food we offered and they couldn’t be bothered to stay awake. A tour boat did arrive during their nap so we were able to get some action shots and they sort of chewed on the bananas that we brought.
Further on up the chain we checked out the endangered rock iguanas on Allen Cay. The cay is part of a project to bring back the iguanas and is protected by the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We arrived to find a small, uninhabited cay with a tiny beach covered in iguanas. The park asks that you do not feed the iguanas but allows you to hike around the island. We rowed ashore, read the informational signs, and then watched as another cruiser came ashore with contraband. As he tossed a rotting head of lettuce at them an epic battle ensued and we watched the skirmish with interest, content in the knowledge that we did not actively participate in the flouting of the rules. After it was over they went back to lying perfectly still and so we headed back to the boat. Later in the day we found it entertaining to watch as the beach filled up with sun worshipers, vying for spots to lay their towels in amongst the iguanas, weighing the state of their tan against the warnings about the iguanas’ tendency to bite.